Immigrant mom's joy upon release: 'My heart, it feels so happy'

After seven days in federal custody, Enriquez came home Thursday evening.
The Enquirer/Sam Greene

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Riccy Enriquez Perdomo holds her son after being released Thursday evening, Aug. 24., 2017, at the Boone County Jail in Florence, Ky. She was arrested by immigration officers a week ago and held at five different jails.(Photo: Sam Greene/The Enquirer)Buy Photo

BURLINGTON, Ky. – One week ago, Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was a largely anonymous suburban wife and mother of two young children.

She is now, to many people, a symbol of the confusion of current U.S. immigration policy.

After seven days in federal custody, Enriquez came home Thursday evening. She walked out of the front doors of the Boone County Jail at 7:15 p.m. and was greeted by cheers and by hugs from family members.

Enriquez wept and answered questions from reporters in Spanish and English.

After being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, Enriquez said, she didn't know if she would ever come home again to Boone County. She said she prayed and asked God to reunite her with her family.

The 22-year-old Florence resident wore blue jeans and a sleeveless jean jacket over a black T-shirt.

"It was horrible," she said of her week in federal custody. "I never thought it would happen to me. ... They told me I was a fugitive. That's why they arrested me. I am just so tired."

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Riccy Enriquez Perdomo hugs her 11-month-old son, Rony, and is met by her sister Rita Enriquez as she is released from custody at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Family members of Riccy Enriquez Perdomo arrive and pick up signs with supporters at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Family members of Riccy Enriquez Perdomo carry signs with supporters at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Riccy Enriquez Perdomo lifts her 5-year-old daughter Melanie while local media surrounds the family as she's released from custody in at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Riccy Enriquez Perdomo speaks to local media after being released from custody at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

"Mi Amor," says Riccy Enriquez Perdomo as she looks up to her 11-month-old son, Rony, while surrounded by family member as she's released from custody at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Riccy Enriquez Perdomo smiles as she hugs her sister Rita Enriquez after being released from custody at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Malanie Enriquez, 5, smiles as she looks up to her mother Riccy Enriquez Perdomo after she is released from custody at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

Riccy Enriquez Perdomo hugs young family members after they lead her to a small crucifix they has constructed for her outside the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released from county jail, after being arrested Aug. 17. Enriquez, had been granted legal status two times through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but was arrested at an immigration office in Louisville. She had gone there to post bond for another immigrant being held who was eligible for release. Sam Greene

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Enriquez was arrested because ICE thought her legal DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, status had expired, the agency said in a statement to The Enquirer. Also, she misidentified herself as a legal permanent resident. She was released, the statement said, after further investigation revealed that her DACA status was renewed Jan. 31.

Enriquez arrived at the back of the Boone County Jail in an unmarked white van about 6:45 p.m. Thursday, according to Don Sherman, a Cincinnati-based legal advocate for her.

In all, about two dozen family members and immigrant rights supporters – some with signs that read “Stop Separating Families” – waited on the public sidewalk on Conrad Lane. A Boone County deputy told them they could not wait on county jail property.

Riccy Enriquez Perdomo, 22, of Florence, Kentucky, was in federal immigration custody even though she has legal status, say family members. She is shown with her son Rony, 11 months, and daughter Melanie, 5.(Photo: Provided by Rita Cote)

ICE seized Enriquez on Aug. 17 at an immigration office in Louisville when she went there to post bond for another immigrant eligible for releases.

Instead, Enriquez, a Honduran national living in the United States since she was 9, found herself in custody and on an odyssey that would take her through three states and five federal prisons.

Though she had received a deportation order in 2004 for entering the country illegally with an uncle and a sister, Enriquez believed the deferred action status she first received in 2015 under DACA protected her from detention. Immigration officials say she still needs to have that order removed.

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In 2014, one of 100 residents or about 20,000 people in the 15-county Cincinnati region were unauthorized immigrants, according to recent estimates by the Pew Research Center using Census data.
Wochit

DACA, which grants temporary relief in two-year increments, was created in 2012 through executive action by President Barack Obama. It provides a work permit and the opportunity to get a legal driver's license. President Donald Trump has yet to decide if he is going to continue it.

After Enriquez's arrest, she was jailed in Boone County; Clay County, Indiana; and Chicago and McHenry and Pulaski counties in Illinois. She was moved last to the Pulaski County Jail in southern Illinois before she was driven Thursday back to Boone County.

Sherman and a dozen other immigrant rights activists started to gather at the jail at 4:45 p.m. Thursday

A friend and fellow churchgoer from Florence, Gladis Giron, 38, drove her four school-aged children to the jail Thursday afternoon to greet her “best friend.”

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“It’s so exciting,” said Giron, who, like Enriquez, is Honduran by birth. “We pray together in church on Saturday and Sunday and on Wednesday. She has a beautiful heart. I want to be here for my friend.”

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Family members of Riccy Enriquez Perdomo arrive and pick up signs with supporters at the Boone County Jail in Burlington, Ky., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Riccy Enriquez Perdomo was released by immigration officials after being arrested Aug. 17.(Photo: Sam Greene/The Enquirer)